


Cat & Mouse

by jaerie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anal Sex, Animal Traits, Cat ear kink, Co-workers, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Hybrid Harry, Insecurity, M/M, Secret Identity, Strangers to Lovers, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 00:57:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21128159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaerie/pseuds/jaerie
Summary: It's the one day out of the year that Harry doesn't have to hide and can be himself — at least he thought so.  Louis is just a little more observant than he anticipated.





	Cat & Mouse

**Author's Note:**

> It's Halloween season!! and I needed a couple short pieces to get me going on the larger things that I definitely should be working on. So enjoy!

* * *

Harry stepped through the door of the party and looked around nervously. It was his first time being so bold and his heart thudded in his chest that someone might  _ know _ . 

The room was filled with the usual costumes -- a bunch of pirates, the usual array of witches, a clown or two and then the lazy ones who just stuck on a headband of animal ears. Harry’s hand went up to his own head self-consciously and pondered turning around and putting on the fuzzy unicorn onesie his sister had made the whole family wear last Christmas. 

But he was already here and he’d made a commitment to do this. Plus, he had shown up fashionably late after psyching himself up and everyone was already on their way to plastered anyway. No one would remember he was even there, let alone his “costume”. He pulled in a breath and focused on the drink table across the room while he made his way to it. 

Work parties were usually lame and served as an excuse to provide free booze for everyone to loosen up a little. This one seemed to be no different. 

The decorations were definitely purchased from a dollar store and the DJ was just Niall from the digital arts department with a Macbook and a set of speakers. Harry wasn’t even sure why he’d decided to attend yet here he was in the middle of it all.

He stayed off to the side to observe while nursing the jungle juice in his seasonally appropriate orange coloured Solo cup. Harry was friendly with most of the people he worked with, but it was a big company. Knowing faces he passed by maybe once a week was different than the friendships he’d created on his own floor and they were all lost in the mix. 

“Harry, right?” 

Harry looked over to see Louis from accounting. Or maybe it was payroll? Somewhere on one of the lower floors. Sometimes he got onto the same elevator Harry was already on its way down at the end of the day. He seemed nice. They usually exchanged polite smiles. There were Mickey Mouse ears perched on his head and black whiskers drawn across his cheeks to match the black circle on the tip of his nose. He’d apparently spent as little time on his costume as Harry. Maybe less. 

“Yeah. Louis?” 

Louis nodded and lifted his own Solo cup in cheers. 

“I’ve never seen you with your hair down!” his voice a little too loud as if they were in a club and needed to be heard over the pounding bass. 

Harry’s hand flew up to his head self-consciously. He always wore his long hair pulled back into a bun to keep his ears hidden flat against his head. They were thin and dark in colour which made them easy to hide even if it was uncomfortable after a while. He got used to it. 

Louis must have sensed his hesitation and quickly spoke up. “I meant it looks nice!” 

“Thanks,” Harry said shyly. Harry thought his hair looked nice when it was let loose and curly, but that wasn’t something he could do in public with a secret like his. Pointed cat ears that twitched when he was in deep thought and reacted with his facial expressions weren’t exactly features that would make him fit in. 

“That’s a really cool tail, too! I’ve been watching it since you came in!” 

Harry knew his cheeks were red. He hadn’t even been thinking about that. With the comfortable freedom, he was sure it was reacting to the movements of his body the same way it always did when it wasn’t tucked into his trousers. That was worse than his ears. Sitting in a desk chair with it tucked around and between his legs made it hard to sit still for very long at a time. 

They were all choices he knowingly made when he’d decided he wanted to live a “normal” life. He dealt with it the best he could. 

“Thanks,” he said bashfully. He hadn’t anticipated any comments. He figured it would look like any other generic cat costume since they wouldn’t looking for anything else. 

Louis reached out and captured it with his hand. “How’d you make it look so real?” 

Harry yelped in surprise and his reflexes yanked his tail back to wrap around his opposite hip. He froze and stared at Louis with wide eyes. Louis’ flicked up to Harry’s head and he knew his ears had flattened back against his hair in response. Fuck. 

“I, uh, have to go,” he fumbled and nearly tripped over his own feet in his haste to remove himself from the situation. This was a bad idea, the worst he’d ever had. 

He rushed towards the door with Louis calling after him. He abandoned his Solo cup on the closest table and pushed his way out into the lobby and then into the chilly fall air. His heart was racing and his hands shook as he pulled out his phone. Planning to take an Uber home was really throwing a wrench in his quick and dramatic exit. 

“Harry wait!” 

Of course Louis had continued to follow him, the mouse chasing cat instead of the other way around. Not that he wanted that comparison in the first place. He’d never chased a mouse in his life and wasn’t about to start. He turned his back and continued to try to work his apps with his unsteady fingers. Of all the nights to not have his car this was the worst, but he’d been planning to have a few drinks and enjoy himself without having to think of safely making his way home. 

“Please don’t leave because of me. I didn’t realize or I never would have tried to touch you like that.” 

Harry paused and glanced over his shoulder. That wasn’t the reaction he had anticipated. The last time someone one of his ears had slipped free he’d been chased down by a group of teenagers who wanted to pet him or take selfies. What he saw in when he turned around was nothing like that. 

One of Louis’ whiskers had smudged and his ears were on crooked. He resisted the urge to fix them. 

“Are you from  Híbridia?” 

The question was innocent enough, but Harry hesitated. The secrets of his home never went over with people who didn’t believe it existed. He’d grown up hearing the horror stories of those that weren’t careful. 

“I think that’s really cool! My grandpa spent some time in special forces on the border during the war and I grew up hearing all of his stories.” 

Harry relaxed, if only just a little. 

“I used to get in fights at school because the other kids thought I was making everything up.” 

“Thanks for defending us, I guess?” Harry said, confused but soft. “I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t go spreading this around. It was a stupid idea I didn’t really think through.” 

“No! I think it’s great! But you shouldn’t have to go as yourself for halloween. This party’s lame anyway. Do you want to go grab some coffee or something?” 

“Honestly, I’d rather not.” Harry watched as Louis’ face fell, the drawn on whiskers emphasizing the drop. It was so genuine that it squeezed something inside his chest. “I don’t really feel like being in public like this right now. But I don’t live far away if you wanted to come over for a bit?” 

The whisker lines morphed as Louis smile brightened his eyes. 

“I’d like that,” he nodded.

They took a car the short distance to Harry’s apartment and he was glad he kept his place clean. He offered Louis a beer and took one for himself before they both sat down on the couch. It was a bit awkward at first, neither of them quite knowing what to say. 

“Again, I’m really sorry for grabbing you like that. I thought maybe you were into animatronics or something since it looked so real.” 

“It’s okay, I was a little jumpy. It’s the first time I’ve ever gone out like this since I moved here. I didn’t think anyone would be paying close enough attention.” 

“I don’t think anyone else was, to be honest. Everyone was too drunk. I think your secret is still safe.” 

“Thanks. It’s not something I want to be fired over or have treat me differently for.”

They both drank to the reality that those things were almost certainly possible if he was to be found out. 

“I did mean it by the way. Your hair looks really nice like that. And your ears. They suit you.” 

It was Louis’ turn to be bashful. Harry’s hand automatically went up to his head at his comment, touching the silky delicate skin between his fingers. He’d always been fond of his ears, just a shade darker than his hair and proportionate to the rest of his features. There wasn’t really any part of himself that he disliked except here where his type were closely guarded and largely regarded as myth. 

“I’m sorry, it’s so rude I keep staring. My grandpa just always talked about your people with such admiration. I never thought I’d ever know someone from there.”

Harry had a heightened sense for reading people and he could tell Louis didn’t mean to be disrespectful. It was what made Harry relax enough for his tail to curl around, the tip flipping happily. 

“It’s okay,” Harry said with a small smile and a shrug. It was kind of nice to be open with someone for once. He could see Louis’ fingers twitching and knew what he probably wanted to ask. Harry would probably have the same curiosity. “You can touch them if you want to.” 

He could see Louis hesitate so he leaned forward in invitation and waited for him to finally reach out. 

Louis’ fingers were warm and soft and gentle. The touch was so light at first that it made his ear flick on reflex. Louis jumped back and it made Harry giggle. But then he touched again and trailed his finger along the sensitive edge. 

No one had ever touched him with such reverence. It sent shivers down his spine and he leaned into the touch. It also made him suddenly and very awkwardly hard. The offer had definitely been a mistake. 

Still, he didn’t pull away. He let Louis stroke one ear and then the other while he tried to keep his breathing under control and his boner contained. 

Louis let out a shaky breath and Harry finally let himself look up to meet his eyes that were so crystal blue. 

“I’m hard too,” Louis admitted just a hint above a whisper. 

So he hadn’t been very good at hiding it. 

“I’m sorry, they’re just really sensitive.”

Their faces were just inches apart now and the space between them was charged with something Harry had never experienced. They were kissing before Harry knew what was happening. 

Their clothes were shed and then he was on all fours with Louis tracing the delicate line of fur that led down to his tail. Harry arched his back and let out a moan when he followed his tail all the way out to the tip. He wasn’t a virgin, but it was his first time with someone who didn’t have the same features as he did. It made everything more exhilarating to know he was being admired. 

Louis draped himself over Harry’s back and his tail naturally curled around Louis’ waist. 

“Can I fuck you?” Louis asked with his dick nestled against his crack with the tip tickled by the fur of his hair. 

“God yes,” he moaned and pressed back against him. He fumbled through the basket under the coffee table because he definitely did not have lube stashed there from his long self-indulgent weekend. 

Louis held his tail while he fingered Harry open which was something he’d slap anyone else’s hand away from doing. With Louis, he liked it. It had been so long since he’d been with anyone that everything felt new and he surrendered to whatever Louis had to give. 

“Already had such a crush on you,” Louis muttered once he’d lined up and slid in. Harry’s tail curled around his waist again which made Louis moan. “And then you’re even prettier like this.” 

Harry keened at the praise and pushed back, starting a rhythm that had them both breathing hard. Louis went back to his knees to fuck him harder, one hand on his hip with the other gripping his tail. 

“Fuck, your ears are so expressive,” Louis groaned. Harry hadn’t realized they did anything during sex and was suddenly hyper aware of what Louis meant. They twitched and tensed along with him.

He reached down and wrapped his own hand around himself as the thought of being watched became something that definitely turned him on. He glanced over his shoulder to see if Louis was still focused on his ears and saw the drawn on whiskers smudged over his cheeks. It wasn’t even unattractive. 

He came in his fist with little more than a deep groan and stroked himself through it while Louis pounded into him towards an end. 

They both marinated in the silence while they caught their breath and then Harry let his tail relax while Louis pulled out. 

“That wasn’t how I expected to spend halloween,” Harry said with a lazy smirk after wilting into the couch.

“Definitely me either,” Louis smiled and settled in on his side so they faced each other pressed together on the cushions. He reached up and ran his fingers through Harry’s hair, pausing to brush lightly over his ears. 

Harry closed his eyes and relaxed into a soft purr before freezing. His eyes flew open in embarrassment that he’d let himself do that but only met Louis’ kind eyes and soft smile. 

“You’re so cute. You don’t have to hold anything back with me.”

He let his eyes fall closed once again but it was a few minutes before he gave in to the urge to purr. He wasn’t sure why he felt the urge to trust Louis, but at least for tonight, he let himself. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> [a halloween fic post](https://jaerie.tumblr.com/post/188505757137/cat-mouse-e-2k-by-jaerie-its-the-one-day-out)


End file.
